Donald Dewar: I have replied today.
Donald Dewar: I speak regularly to the Secretary of State for Scotland on the telephone, and no doubt will meet him next week at the Labour party conference. As this is the last First Minister's question time for Alex Salmond, and as we may be caught up soon in the staccato of debate, I wish him a happy retirement. Given the starting point, it is likely to be long. I hope that it is quiet and peaceful....
Donald Dewar: Of course, I would never duck my responsibility for the actions that fell within my terms of operation, but I say to Alex Salmond that there is a genuine difficulty regarding selective quoting. What he said is not entirely representative. I will take one example that has had a lot of publicity—fees. It is worth noting that there is no real criticism of the first attempt to set the fee...
Donald Dewar: I have no intention of going in for some kind of blame culture or of trying to shift responsibility on to anyone else.
Donald Dewar: I do not see the immediate parallel between North Lanarkshire Council and the Holyrood project and I do not think I will bother discussing the matter with Dennis Canavan in order to find out. I say to Alex Salmond that there is a multiplicity of reasons. For example, as he will know, the most obvious reason was that the building was increased in size very considerably in the second half of...
Donald Dewar: I am not sure that this is the best forum in which to debate the detail of these matters. [MEMBERS: "Oh."] In June 1999 and to the best of my ability I announced a total cost of £109 million and, from memory, £62 million-worth of construction costs. I do not think that anyone has suggested—and I hope that no one will suggest— that I acted dishonestly or improperly on that occasion. I...
Donald Dewar: Every elected member takes their chances with the electorate. We will have to wait and see what weight the electorate gives to the issue of the new building. I will stand on our record as a whole, including the lowest unemployment for 24 years, more schoolteachers, more classroom assistants and the impressive warm deal package to assist older citizens that we launched recently. As Alex...
Donald Dewar: I do not need to look in my book to discover the answer to that. The Cabinet discussed several matters of significance to the Executive and to the people of Scotland.
Donald Dewar: I accept it in the sense that I was responsible for the project at that stage. I am happy to recognise that fact. The £40 million estimate that appeared before we came into office was based on the advice that was available before any site selection had taken place and when no designs were available. As Mr McLetchie knows, we then moved very quickly to the figure of £50 million. That...
Donald Dewar: A great deal of work is going on to contain costs under the general supervision of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and the progress group. As he has majored on this subject today, Mr McLetchie will know that the Auditor General has commented favourably on the establishment of the progress group, which he felt would "help to strengthen independent scrutiny of the Holyrood project"....
Donald Dewar: That is a unique point of view, as the membership of the progress group illustrates. I say to David McLetchie—and I am certain that I am right about this—that if we had appointed a minister to the progress committee, we would have been attacked immediately on the grounds that that was not proper and that it was a breach, at least in spirit, of the arrangements that had been made when the...
Donald Dewar: I thank Elaine Thomson for her question. I believe and am confident that Scotland's science and research base is good enough to attract inward investment. The Executive is taking wide-ranging actions and initiatives to support and enhance Scotland's science and research base. That is evidenced by Ernst & Young's "European Investment Monitor", which recorded Scotland as attracting the largest...
Donald Dewar: I agree entirely with Elaine Thomson about the importance of the oil industry and the technology that is built on it. Sometimes we have been criticised for not making the most of that and exporting our expertise to other parts of the world. However, some firms have been outstandingly successful in that respect. I have no doubt that over the next year or two there will be heavy investment in...
Donald Dewar: I probably know as much about this as Mr Gallie does, as I read about it in the newspapers. However, I did not immediately take it up as a campaigning tool, as I suspect Mr Gallie did. That is one of the reasons that his politics do not always command the respect that he would like them to. The appointment of chairmen to employment tribunals is not a devolved area of policy, so I would not...
Donald Dewar: Improving life circumstances is a key strategic priority for improving the nation’s health. The Executive recognises that good housing and a clean environment are essential requirements for good health. The £350 million investment announced this week to help install free central heating for pensioners and other vulnerable groups is evidence of the priority the Executive puts on improving...
Donald Dewar: Austria?
Donald Dewar: Pathetic.
Donald Dewar: Did Alex Salmond read this month's Bank of Scotland economic report, which said that manufacturing output was up for the 22 nd month in succession and that the pace of that rise was increasing? It also reported an increase in manufacturing employment. Mr Salmond really must not go in for selective quoting. Anyone who looks round this city and round Scotland will see that we are going through...
Donald Dewar: I blush for appearing at yet another occasion. With permission, Sir David, I propose to make a statement on the Executive's programme, with particular reference to our legislative intentions over the next parliamentary year. Before setting out our plans, I want to pay tribute to members of the Parliament for their consideration of our legislative proposals over the past year. Throughout the...
Donald Dewar: I thought that it was right for me to keep colleagues up to date on the latest situation. I am grateful to the Presiding Officer for making that possible and for accommodating what will be a brief statement. I apologise to the leaders of the other two main parties, who would normally receive a copy of the statement in advance. As they will appreciate, circumstances have been difficult and I...
